Far From Home
by PhoenixPoetry
Summary: Azel, a young muggle-born witch, only wants to forget her past life as a normal tween. But it isn't that easy.


Disclaimer: I have no ownership of this world or the characters I use. All credit goes to J.K. Rowling.

Hey, dear reader. This is my first fanfic. Feel free to comment. If people like this, I'll continue the story! Message me if you want. Enjoy!

For Azel, all of this was new. Wands? Magic? Flying? Less than a month ago, she hadn't known any of it actually existed. They were all old wives tales that she and her friends had laughed about. _Her friends…_ Az hadn't seen any of them for months, but it felt like years already. They were literally worlds apart now. Even her and Rachel.

Az hadn't worked up the courage to write to Rachel yet. They'd both grown up reading about magic and pretending they were witches, but on her twelfth birthday Az had been chosen, not Rachel. It wasn't fair. Sometimes Az wondered if she could go back in time and refuse to go to Hogwarts, but it was too late. It was as if a part of her that had been locked had been opened the day she got her letter, and she couldn't close it again, no matter what. Magic was a part of her now, just like Rachel and the fact she was gay. If she refused to ignore the queer side, it seemed wrong to ignore the magic side.

But she just couldn't seem to forget Rachel, no matter how hard she tried. Late at night, she'd stay up thinking about Rachel lying alone in bed, looking up at the stars, not knowing where Az was. The picture constantly haunted Az, keeping her up late every night until she'd finally and mercifully black out from exhaustion.

Tonight, in particular, Az was thinking about Rachel. She was so tired and practically delirious, she could almost see Rachel. "Rache," Az whispered, taking her hand. "Rache, stay with me." Eventually, she drifted off to sleep, but the morning light meant nothing to Az- Rachel was gone. Feeling guilty, Az lay in bed for hours on end, skipping all her classes. At half past one, Az was starting to feel hungry, and she managed to rise just to get down to the dining hall. But as soon as she'd walked a minute or so absentmindedly, it became clear that her feet were going somewhere else.

"Where are you taking me?" she asked aloud, which earned her a weird look from an older boy, who hurried out of her way. Az forced herself to stop in her tracks and look up. She immediately knew where she was.

"The owlery?" she asked aloud again, before realizing. "No, no, no, no…" And yet she couldn't, she didn't, turn away. She just stared, open-mouthed, at the owlery door. Simple, wooden, framed in brass, it was the only thing that stood between her and Rachel. The love of her (admittedly short) thirteen years.  
 _When you put it that way, it's easy,_ Az thought, and the next thing she knew she was brazenly shoving open the door and quickly making her way into the owlery. Luckily, no one else was there to witness her shame. She took out a brand new quill and some old parchment from her bag and started to write.

 _Dear Rachel,_

 _It's me. Az._

 _Look, I'm really, really, sorry. I've been trying to shield you… I've been stupid, Rache, nothing matters more to me than you, not even this world, and I can't deny that._

 _Yeah, so… about that. The reason you are receiving this letter BY OWL. It's crazy. This world is crazy._

 _You aren't going to believe me when I say this, Rache, but it's real. Magic. Not wave a wand and everything is perfect, but wave a wand and make something fly. Or you yourself fly. The possibilities are infinite here._

 _The reason I've been gone the last month is that I'm at a boarding school. My parents have moved so it will seem like I just moved with them, but I didn't, I swear. The school is called Hogwarts, and it's for people like me. Wizards and witches. We're all just young people trying to figure out what the hell is going on, but most have more of an idea than me. See, I'm muggle-born. It just means I'm a witch born to muggles, or non-magical people. Most wizards and witches are purebloods, or they're descendants of witches and wizards._

 _But this isn't important. What's important is I care about you a whole damn lot, I'm safe, I'm scared, and I miss you._

 _You probably won't believe this letter is real. You always were a skeptic, weren't you? Just believe me for now, ok? Send a letter by return owl. And let's meet. Kings Cross, first day of winter break?_

 _I'm counting down the days already._

 _Love,_

 _Your Azel_ _(Az)_

Az sealed the letter and walked over to a handsome tawny owl. She attached the letter and watched it fly away.

"Be safe, little bird," she whispered. "Be safe, Rachel. I'm coming home soon."


End file.
